Since I Met You
by anastasiadiamond
Summary: After a chance encounter, Natsu and Lucy become friends and eventually develop feelings for each other. But high school in the small town of Magnolia is full of gossip and lies, and Lucy and Natsu are faced with many obstacles in their relationship. Old flames, jealous cheerleaders, and fear of the future threaten the blossoming feelings between them.
1. Chapter 1- A Fateful Encounter

**I don't own Fairy Tail**

 _ **"** I don't believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents."- _Pablo Picasso

It was raining that day.

I had rushed out the door with a half eaten bagel in my mouth, shouting a muffled, "Goodbye, I love you!" to my dad. '

It took only a minute outside before I was completely soaked, my clothes clinging awkwardly to my body and my hair plastered to my forehead. I nearly tripped on a crack in the sidewalk on my way to school. I would have, if it hadn't of been for the intervention of an interesting stranger.

I was running blindly ahead, trying my best to get to school on time. The early morning rain created a hazy fog that made it hard for me to see ten feet in front of me. The front edge of my foot caught on a crack in the sidewalk, and I felt myself falling forward.

Before I could introduce myself to the pavement, I felt a hand grip my upper arm, saving me from certain doom.

I looked up instantly, grateful to whoever had kept me upright. My gaze was met by dark onyx eyes, andーpink hair? This strawberry stranger was flashing me a toothy grin, and it was at that moment that I took in his full appearance. He had a strong-looking body, lean but muscular. His dark eyes were set by strong, dark brows and long eyelashes. His smile accentuated his sharp jawline and pointy canines. He towered over me, a foot taller than my 5'1 self.

He was cute.

Really cute.

I stumbled on my words, trying for ¨Thank you¨, and ¨I'm sorry¨, but instead what came out of my mouth was ¨You sorry?¨

He cocked an eyebrow at me, but his smile remained. Which only made my embarrassment worse.

¨Oh my god. I am so sorry. That was not what I meant to say.¨ I managed an awkward laugh.

He seemed to shrug it off. ¨No biggie. I save at least ten girls a day from this very situation.¨

Now it was my turn to raise my eyebrow. ¨Do you now? And here I thought I was special.¨ I give him my best fake pout.

He chuckled. ¨I'm Natsu.¨

¨My name's Lucy.¨

He smiled even wider. "Well, it was nice to meet you Luigi, but I'm gonna be late for my first day of school, so I'd better get going."

"It's Lucy! L-U-C-Y. And I just so happen to be late as well. Do you go to Magnolia High School?" I questioned.

"Yeah. I'm a junior. Is that where you go?"

"Yep. I'm a junior too." I said matter-of-factly. "I can walk you there."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Please do. I've been walking around forever, but I can't seem to find the main street. I live on Fairy Tail Road, and it's pretty far from everything."

"I can relate. That's where I live. Come on Nasty, we have to make it before the tardy bell." I said, smiling slyly.

"Yeah, haha. Let's just go."

I had never connected with someone so quickly and easily as I had with Natsu. We laughed all the way to school, and I began to want to know him better. He was funny, cute, and it didn't seem like he was trying to get in my pants.

When we finally reached the main doors, I found myself wishing we had more time together.

"Okay, we have arrived with four minutes to spare. Welcome to Magnolia High." I said, adding in comical jazz hands.

"It's so… small." Natsu pointed out, clearly unimpressed.

"Well don't be so disappointed. We have an excellent football program." I joked.

"Small southern town? Football? No!" Natsu feigned surprise.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But seriously, in this school, if you're on Varsity football, you're a god."

Natsu smiled a mischievous smile, and I knew he had a devious plan.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"Just watch me, Lucy. I'm gonna take over this school. I'm gonna be the star player of the football team before you know it!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Right. Anyway, show me your schedule and I'll walk you to your first class. Wouldn't want you to be late on your first day." I teased.

"I have AP World History with Mr. Clive first period." Natsu said, pulling a crumpled blue schedule out of his back pocket.

"Lucky you. That just so happens to be my first period."

Natsu had to stop at his locker, so I rushed to class alone, hoping to avoid being late to Gildarts' class. That was Mr. Clive's first name, but no one called him Mr. Clive.

I stepped past the threshold of the door right as the tardy bell rang, celebrating internally. I had made it in time.

"That was a close call, Lucy. Please sit down now." Gildarts directed.

I made my way to the back of the class, taking my seat beside my best friends, Levy McGarden and Erza Scarlet. Levy was a petite, unassuming girl with a love of books, while Erza was the polar opposite. She was tall and intimidating, with long red hair and serious brown eyes. She wasn't stupid by any means, but she preferred to spend her spare time dominating on the track team and being Student Council President.

As I sat down, Levy turned around to whisper at me. "What happened? You're always at school at least ten minutes before the bell."

"I had an... interesting encounter on my way here." I said, giving nothing away. I didn't want to tell Levy about Natsu yet. She would go nuts, and I didn't even know if I liked the guy yet.

Just as she turned back around, Natsu came into class. Immediately, all eyes were on him. Some were shocked by his mane of pink hair, while others were appraising his good looks. I could already tell some girls were interested. An unwelcome feeling of jealousy arose in me.

What was I thinking? I had only just met the guy. I shook it off and kept a blank face, trying not to betray my emotions.

"And you are?" Gildarts asked, obviously annoyed that Natsu was late to class.

"Natsu Dragneel, sir. I'm new here." Natsu responded, trying to avoid Gildarts' unnerving glare.

"Well, _Natsu,_ could you explain to me why you were late today? Had to touch up your roots?" Gildarts teased, raising his eyebrows. The class chuckled, amused at his joke.

"It's actually my natural hair. And I had an amusing encounter on my way to school." Natsu explained, a small smile on his face.

I cringed internally. That was almost exactly what I had said to Levy. She would know for sure that we had met. So much for keeping it a secret.

"Alright, Natsu, I'll let it slide, just this once. Take a seat next to Lucy, back there." Gildarts pointed to me. As Natsu made his way down the aisle of seats, twenty pairs of eyes followed him. He sat down next to me, giving me a wide smile.

I turned to the front of the room, aware that people were staring.

"All right class, let's get started with the Cambrian Explosion…"

Gildarts began, but I wasn't listening. All I could think of was the boy sitting next to me. I didn't dare look, though. What if he caught me? What if he thought I liked him? What if I do?

"Lucy?" Gildarts said, snapping me out of my daze.

"Could you repeat the question?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Daydreaming, Miss Heartfilia? And it was, what triggered the Cambrian Explosion?"

"An increase of oxygen in the ocean." I replied. I was good at history, so Gildarts was never too hard on me. Still, I was concerned. I had known Natsu for less than a day and he was already distracting me. I needed to get a grip.

Just then, the bell rang, and I vowed to keep Natsu off my mind.

"Hey, Lucy, what class do you have next?" Natsu asked, jogging to walk beside me in the hallway.

"Astronomy III." I said, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Cool! I've got Art next. I wouldn't even be taking it if it wasn't required." Natsu complained.

"That sucks. Anyway, I guess I'll see you at lunch." I said.

"Yeah. See ya later, Luce." Natsu waved goodbye and disappeared down a side hallway.

 _Luce?_ I thought, my heart pounding. He was calling me by a nickname? Were we that close already?

"I don't think he has any real concept of boundaries." I muttered, making my way to class.

Astronomy flew by, just as it always did. I loved it, and hoped to pursue it as a career. To be able to study the vast night sky was my dream. My mom had introduced it to me when I was little, teaching me all the constellations and their names. She told me that each one had its own personality. I loved those nights. Outside on the grassy hill by our house, it felt like time moved differently. Everything was new, and interesting. My world was so small, just me and my mom and the stars. I had no worries, no responsibility.

And I had my mom.

I swallowed, blinking away my tears. I slipped into the bathroom and quickly made my way into a stall. It was lunchtime, and thankfully, no one else was in the bathroom. I let my tears slip silently out.

Twenty minutes later, the tears subsided. I went to look at myself in the mirror, anticipating the blotchy mess. Seeing myself, I almost laughed. Mascara trails ran all the way down my face, and my eyes were an unsightly shade of red. I splashed cold water on my face, wiping the mascara away with a towel.

By then, I was an expert at hiding my little breakdowns. I had gotten so good that only Levy and Erza could tell that I had been crying. But they never asked. They didn't have to.

I pressed a towel dipped in cold water on each of my eyes, calming the swelling. I reapplied my mascara and put a little concealer under my eyes. I pinched my cheeks and took three deep breaths. That was my routine. Then, looking at myself in the mirror, it was nearly impossible to know what I had been doing. I grabbed my phone and checked the time.

 _12:00._

Crap! The lunch bell was going to ring in two minutes. I hurried out of the bathroom, making my way to my next class. I didn't see the point in going to the cafeteria at that point. Erza and Levy would understand.

I slid into my seat in AP English, putting my incident in the back of my mind. I loved English. If I couldn't be an astronomer, I would be a writer. Creating a whole world out of just words was an amazing concept to me, and I yearned to explore it.

Natsu came into class soon after I did, pausing to talk with Mr. Makarov, the English teacher. He then came to sit beside me. He looked as though he was going to start a conversation, but stopped short. He gave me an odd look, scrutinizing me with his gaze.

"Luce, have you been crying?"

 **Alright Guys, that was it for this chapter. I hope you like the mini-cliffhanger. This is going to be a multi-chapter story. I'm hoping to get around 50K words in. Summer is coming, so I'll probably be updating pretty frequently. But I do have exams coming up in late May so there will probably only be about two or three more chapters between now and then.**

 **BTW, for those who don't know, here's a little reference to some terms mentioned that might be unfamiliar:**

 **Junior= Grade 11**

 **AP= Advanced Placement (It's an honors class)**

 **Cambrian Explosion= Not an actual explosion, just a term for a period in history (before humans) when there was a rapid increase in the creation of new and more complex species of animals**

 **Don't forget to like and comment, and follow my story for updates!**


	2. Chapter 2- Green Eyed Monster

" _The jealous are possessed by a mad devil and a dull spirit at the same time."_ \- Johann Kaspar Lavater

"What?" I said, failing to hide my surprise. No one besides Levy and Erza had ever been able to tell when I'd been crying. They'd known me forever, and even then it had taken them a couple of times to notice it. Natsu had seen it after five seconds.

"Don't play dumb. What happened Luce? Do you need me to beat someone up for ya?" Natsu asked, a genuine look of understanding in his eyes.

I decided not to deny it. It was obvious I couldn't fool him. Somehow, he had found me out. "It's a long story. How did you know?" I replied vaguely. I had only just met Natsu, and I didn't want to burden him with such a sad story.

"You did pretty well trying to hide it, but the sadness remains. The expression on your face gives you away." He explained.

"You are really good at reading people, you know," I said, in awe of his uncanny ability.

He smirked. "You're really easy to read."

Before I could respond, the bell rang. I was thankful for the diversion. I was afraid that he would pry something out of me if we kept talking.

"Alright class, today we're going to be having an open discussion on poetry. I have a couple of poems I am going to read to you, and each one of you is going to say what you think they mean, or at least offer something to the conversation. Got it?" Mr. Jura explained.

Our class nodded enthusiastically, knowing we'd have no homework.

I genuinely liked lessons like these. The poems were always good, and it was interesting to see how everyone interpreted them. I found myself wondering how Natsu would respond. Would he be insightful, and wise? Or would he say something superficial? I doubted it. He seemed to be very perceptive from what little interaction we'd had.

"Alright class, here's our first poem:

"I wrote his name along the beach,

I love the letters so.

Far up it seemed and out of reach,

For still the tide was low.

But oh, the sea came creeping up,

And washed the name away,

And on the sand where it had been

A bit of sea-grass lay.

A bit of sea-grass on the sand,

Dropped from a mermaid's hair—

Ah, had she come to kiss his name

And leave a token there?

What am I that he should love me,

He who stands so far above me,

What am I?

I am like a cowslip turning

Toward the sky,

Where a planet's golden burning

Breaks the cowslip's heart with yearning,

What am I that he should love me,

What am I?

O dreams that flock about my sleep,

I pray you bring my love to me,

And let me think I hear his voice

Again ring free."

I was silent, thinking over the poem in my head. It appeared to be about a woman who loved a man and seemed to have a perfect relationship. Then, perhaps another woman came and stole his interest, which destroyed her self-esteem. It was a very depressing piece, and in my head, I wondered why Mr. Jura chose this poem. Was he trying to tell us something? It was not the usual. We'd barely ever read poems about love, and it seemed like an odd time to start.

Surprisingly, Natsu raised his hand first.

"Yes, Natsu. What do you think this poem is about?" Jura asked, curious.

"I think it's about a woman who loves a man who doesn't know her. She holds him to a high ideal, thinking of him as some kind of god. When another woman comes into his life, she reverts into a state of despair, questioning herself and her feelings for him." Natsu articulated.

I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't expected Natsu to be so thoughtful. What he'd said rang true to me.

"Well said, Natsu. Alright, who's next?" Mr. Jura continued the lesson.

By the time the bell rang, there was a heated discussion over the meaning of the beach as the setting, and whether or not the mermaid was "the other woman."

My next class was uneventful. I had never particularly like math, but Mr. Conbolt taught me well enough. Natsu was in that class with me as well, but he sat on the other side of the room.

The bell rang at 3:30, signaling the end of a long school day. As I made my way out of class, a hand came down on my shoulder. I thought it was Natsu, but instead, I was greeted with the face of Sting Eucliffe. Sting wasn't exactly a player, but he'd never kept a girlfriend for more than two months. Still, girls threw themselves at him. He was tall and muscular, with tanned skin and blonde hair. To top it off, he was the quarterback of the Varsity football team. Like I had said, he was a god in this school.

"Hey, Lucy, where you off to?" Sting asked, moving around to walk beside me.

"I have cheer practice," I replied, a little uncomfortable. Sting had shown interest in me last year, and his crazy ex had almost started a fight with me. I didn't want to be part of his drama.

"My little cheerleader. Well, I've got football. See ya later, babe." Sting asserted, jogging off to join his football buddies. They all laughed and gave him high fives.

 _His little cheerleader? He has some nerve calling me that! And babe, really?_

I was practically fuming by the time I reached the football field. However, despite my anger, I was excited about cheer practice. I had been on Magnolia's cheer team since 7th grade, and it was one of the ways I found happiness. My mom was the one who signed me up, and I'd loved it ever since the first day.

Now, as a junior, I was one of the best girls on the Varsity squad. I wasn't the captain, but I had never really wanted to be.

When I started to cheer in 7th grade, most of the girls were like me, around five feet tall and petite. As time went on, they all got taller and I stayed the same. As a result, I became the squad's flyer. It was fun but also scary at the same time.

"Alright, ladies. Let's get started. We're going to work on an extension. Lucy, Minerva, Lisanna, and Juvia, get into position." Our coach instructed. We moved into formation, hitting extension flawlessly.

When a water break finally came, our stunt group stood around in a circle, sharing gossip. I wasn't really interested in the who-did-what's, so I mainly just observed until Lisanna asked me a question.

"So, Lucy, I saw you and Sting in the hallway today. I heard him call you babe! Are you guys finally dating because he has been trying to get with you forever!" Lisanna asked.

I cringed internally, stealing a glance at Minerva.

Sting's crazy ex.

She looked calm, too calm. She was staring at me with a blank face, a slow smile creeping onto her features.

"Really, Lucy? I hadn't heard you and him were a thing." Minerva said with a deadly edge.

"Oh, we're not. He was just asking me a question about the math homework." I lied, but Minerva could tell. She knew Sting would never go up to a girl just to ask her a math question.

"If you say so." Lisanna retorted, a knowing look in her eyes.

I couldn't blame Lisanna for bringing it up, she had only just started school here this year. But still, I wish she hadn't. Minerva would surely be concocting an evil revenge plan by now.

"Alright, break time's over! Let's get back to it." Coach yelled, calling us back to the field.

We got into position, our movements muscle memory as we executed the stunt perfectly. After I hit the last pose, I prepared to be thrown into the air for a cradle. I felt high, so high. I loved that part of stunting. As I came down, something didn't feel right. I way too low to the ground, and I couldn't feel Minerva's arms bracing my fall.

I felt my back light up with pain, the breath knocked out of my lungs. I gasped and sputtered, blinking through the dots that swam in my vision. I looked up at my stunt group, seeing Lisanna and Juvia's shocked concern. Minerva put her hands on her mouth in a dramatic gesture.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! I don't know what got into me…" Minerva apologized, in a melodramatic tone.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Lisanna asked.

I couldn't speak. I was still breathless.

"Why don't you guys get Coach, and I'll make sure Lucy is okay." Minerva practically commanded.

I wished I had the voice to tell them to stay. If I had to bet my life, I would've said Minerva dropped me on purpose for talking to Sting.

Now that Lisanna and Juvia were gone, Minerva's sorry expression faded quickly, replaced by a menacing snarl.

"Don't forget, _Lucy._ Sting is mine. Keep your slutty paws off him." Minerva hissed.

I couldn't reply. I just laid back on the turf and closed my eyes. She stalked off angrily, leaving me to lie on the turf.

"Luce!"

I forced an eye open, staring up at Natsu kneeling down on the ground next to me. He was wearing full football uniform, and he was breathing hard.

"Hmmm?" I managed to groan through the pain.

"What happened Luce? Are you okay? Lemme take you to the nurse. Oh god, Oh god, Luce is gonna die!" He was panicking.

"Natsu…"

"Can you walk? You gotta get to the nurse, now." Natsu insisted, sticking out his hand to me.

I shook my head. There was no way.

Natsu shrugged, leaning over to pick me up. He put his hands under my legs and back, rising to his feet with ease. I could feel his warm skin on my bare shoulder. I tried, in vain, to hide the redness on my cheeks. Natsu looked down at me every once in awhile, not seeming to realize the inappropriateness of the situation.

The nurse's office was empty, a note taped to the desk.

 _Emergency Situation. Will return tomorrow._

Natsu groaned. "The one person who could save you from certain death is gone! I guess it's up to me to save you."

I giggled. He was being so melodramatic.

Natsu laid me down on the patient bed, gently removing his hands from underneath me. I struggled to sit up, black dots clouding my vision. The pain was worse now that my adrenaline was fading.

Pain lanced through my skull, and I couldn't help but cry out. Natsu immediately put a steadying hand on my back.

"Luce, are you okay?" His concern was no longer dramatic.

I leaned over, placing my head in my hands. The pain was piercing, like someone was hammering a nail into my brain.

Natsu put his hand on my knee to comfort me. I looked up to see him staring at me concernedly. "I saw what happened. I was watching you from football tryouts. I don't know if you can tell from up in the air, but it looked to me like that girl with the black hair dropped you on purpose."

I nodded, wincing. "That was Minerva. She used to date Sting, but he broke up with her because she was crazy. A couple months later he showed interest in me, and Minerva went nuts. She heard he was talking to me in the hallway today and thought I was trying to get with him."

"She dropped you for _that?_ That's insane." Natsu paused, his brain registering something. "Wait a minute, Sting? Like, quarterback Sting? He's the one who you were with in the hallway?" Natsu questioned.

"Yeah, why?" I answered nonchalantly. I was curious to know why he asked.

"Today at tryouts he was bragging about a cute girl that he liked. Said she was smart and pretty and that he was going to ask her out. Guess that was probably you." Natsu seemed disappointed.

"Well, with Sting you never know," I replied. I wasn't interested in Sting at all. It was a mystery to me why Natsu seemed so bothered about it.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "Natsu, did you leave football tryouts for this?"

He nodded his head.

"Natsu! You shouldn't have done that! I grateful and all, but Coach Dreyar is not lenient. You may have just given up your chance to be on the football team!" I told him. Why would he miss tryouts just to help me? It made my chest feel funny and tight and frustrated me endlessly.

Natsu shrugged. "Worth it."

I groaned. "Come on Natsu, we are going back to the field so you can try out," I said, standing up defiantly. I instantly regretted my decision, as a sharp pain pulsed at my temples. I swayed on my feet. Natsu was up in an instant, grabbing onto my shoulders to keep me from falling.  
"No way. You need to rest, and if you're alone something bad might happen to you and no one would be there to help." Natsu said defiantly.

I rolled my eyes. Ignoring the migraine that pulsed with every breath I took, I grabbed Natsu by his jersey and dragged him out of the Nurse's office.

"Natsu, you are coming. You're going to try out for football so I can be your cheerleader" I stopped abruptly, realizing what I had just said.

 **Yay! I finally updated! I have been so busy with final exams that I haven't had any time to write. Now that I have summer break though, I hope to be updating about once a week, but don't be surprised if it is later. Also, I probably won't update in July because I will be in Europe. Anyways, don't forget to review, favorite, and follow!**


End file.
